Pratt Rock - New York's Mount Rushmore

Another, less generous appraisal termed it "a monument to vanity." Some have called it one of the earliest Civil War monuments in the nation. Pratt Rock Park, by the side of Route 23 on the outskirts of Prattsville, like many other points of interest in the Catskill Mountains, seems to attract widely varying opinions. And its story, like the Catskills themselves, is cloaked in legend.

Pratt Rock Park is open to the public every day, and there is no admission. The climb to the rocks is steep, and may be unfit for young children, but the path is clear and ascents a series of gently graded inclines to the carved cliff wall 500 feet above the road. The sculptures and the view of the valley make the short climb more than worth the effort.